Sue & Greg Palumbo’s

1972 Rambler Matador

My name is Greg Palumbo and
this is my story

I have been involved
with Ramblers all my life my Father and Uncle had Ramblers between them
e.g. a light Blue 1966 Classic , a 1968 Dark Maroon (Rustic ) Rambler
Matador . I remember my Uncle’s Rebel and I remember very well my Fathers
Matador so when it came time to purchase my first car I could think of
nothing I wanted more than a Rambler!

So my first car was a
1976 Light Blue Matador which I sold about a year and a half later . Some
years went by and I decided I wanted another one . My Father said there’s
two guys I see working on cars from time to time with Ramblers .

So I popped in one day
to see them and to talk about Ramblers. The two gentlemen were none other
then Jeff and Steven Fripp . They told me about the Car club and to join ,
so I did. How lucky I was to have met the Fripps and later not
much later joined the club, where I have met the nicest and most sincere
people you could ever wish to meet . The Fripps mentioned to me that
there was a Rambler Matador advertised in the paper and that I should look
at it . I purchased a 1971 Rambler Matador from Mr Bill Rowe, Jims late
father, both of Mascot Motors.

The original owner was
Mr Harry Teasel who had the Rambler for about 30 years . Harry looked
after the car very well , he cared for the Rambler immensely . My Family
and I have had lots of fun in the car club in our Rambler these past 10
years . My Father has a 1966 Classic which he has had for the past 6
years and has been in the club for as long Both cars are on club plates .
My Rambler has had some work done on the interior . The Engine has not
been rebuilt , also the duco is original light Green in Colour ( Willow
). Steven and in particular Jeff have helped me maintain my car over the
years for which I’m most grateful . It had 95, 000 miles when I bought
the car , It now has approx 105, 000 miles . My idea is to keep the car
in good original order and to just enjoy driving and owning a Rambler .

Editor Note: Greg is Vice President of the Club
and a very keen and active member along with his father Mr (Elia) Palumbo.
Greg’s lovely wife Sue is always a smile a minute and an enthusiastic
member as well.

The interior is immaculate.

Elegant lines of the ’70’s’

“Hey…Toro!”

The Matador replaced the
AMC Rebel, which had been marketed since 1967. With a
facelift and a new name, the AMC Matadors were available as a two-door
hardtop as well as a four-door
sedan and
station wagon. The sedan and wagon models "offered excellent value and
were fairly popular", including as a
police car. Manufactured in Australia at
Port Melbourne, (AMI) Engine sizes offered were, 232 cu in (3.8 L) 6
cyl, 258 cu in (4.2 L) 6 cyl, 304 cu in (5.0 L)
V8, 360 cu in (5.9 L) V8 and a 401 cu in (6.6 L) V8
Transmission Gearboxes were, 3-speed
manual, 4-speed manual, 3-speed Shift-Command or Torque-Command
automatic.
Wheelbase 114 in (2,896 mm) coupe, 118 in (2,997 mm) sedan/wagon.
Length 209.3 in (5,316 mm) coupe 206.1 in (5,235 mm), sedan 205 in (5,207
mm), wagon Height 51.8 in (1,316 mm) coupe53.8 in (1,367 mm) sedan 56.4 in
(1,433 mm) wagon.

LAPD purchased over 600 of these
vehicles - (serving from 1973-1986)

Most, if not all, have sadly been
destroyed or crashed in the movies of the 70's and 80's.